ATP Madrid Open 2021: Day 4- Nadal, Medvedev, Zverev all advance, Sinner and Schwartzman falter in Round 2

ATP Madrid Open 2021: Day 4- Nadal, Medvedev, Zverev all advance, Sinner and Schwartzman falter in Round 2

Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev

Day 4 of the Madrid Open did not have many surprises in store, but it surely did have some surprising results. The top seeds safely progressed into the third round, whereas, the likes of Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman were knocked out. With the second round done and dusted, there are several interesting matchups to look forward to in the third round.

Rafael Nadal defeats Carlos Alcaraz, on the latter’s 18th birthday

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Rafael Nadal secured a straight sets victory over the Spanish teenage sensation, Carlos Alcaraz. The 20 time Grandslam champion won in straight sets, by a score-line of 6-1, 6-2. The 34-year old came into the tournament on the back of a successful Barcelona Open campaign, where he lifted his 12th title. However, it was a dream come true for Carlos Alcaraz who got to face his idol, Rafael Nadal on his 18th birthday.

Daniil Medvedvev scrapes through in three sets

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Daniil Medvedev returned to action for the first time after testing positive for covid-19. He was not up to his best, but managed to battle against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three sets. Fokina won the first set, however, the Russian came storming back into the match, and claimed the next two sets. The second seed won 6-4, 4-6,2-6 in a battle that lasted over two hours. Next up, he faces the 16th seed, Cristian Garin.

FS Video

Alexander Zverev wins in straight sets

Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev secured a straight sets victory in the second round of the Madrid Open 2021. The German defeated the Japanese, Kei Nishikori in straight sets. He won 6-3, 6-2 and was dominant throughout the match. Next up, he faces the Brit, Dan Evans in a tough third round encounter. Last week, Zverev suffered a shocking quarterfinal loss to Ilya Ivashka at the Munich Open 2021.

Diego Schwartzman and Jannik Sinner knocked out

Diego Schwartzman
Diego Schwartzman

One of the upsets of the day, was Jannik Sinner’s loss to Alexei Popyrin in the second round. Sinner lost in straight sets, by a scoreline of 7-6, 6-2. Now, Popyrin faces the five time champion in Madrid, Rafael Nadal in the third round.

Diego Schwartzman continued his poor start to the clay court season, as he was knocked out in three sets by Aslan Karatsev. The Argentine won the first set, but eventually lost, 6-2, 4-6, 1-6. Karatsev has been in fine form in the past few weeks. The Russian also defeated Novak Djokovic at the Serbia Open 2021 a few weeks ago, and ended as the runner-up.

Other Results:

  • John Millman defeats Dan Evans (7-6,2-6,3-6)
  • Cristian Garin defeats Dominik Koepfer (6-3, 6-4)
  • Federico Delbonis defeats Albert Ramos Vinolas (7-6, 6-3)

Also Read: ATP Madrid Open 2021: Matteo Berrettini vs Federico Delbonis – Preview, Head to Head and Prediction